Written Answers Monday 28 September 2009

Scottish Executive

Central Heating

Patrick Harvie (Glasgow) (Green): To ask the Scottish Executive how many households are expected to receive, by the end of 2009, insulation wholly or partly funded by the Home Insulation Scheme.

Alex Neil: Marketing of the Home Insulation Scheme (HIS) is expected to begin in late September, with doorstep assessment visits starting in early November and the first measures being installed in early December. It is not possible at this stage to accurately estimate the number of households which will sign up to receive insulation measures by the end of 2009. Our planning and funding framework is based on financial years, i.e. 2009-10 for the first phase. When HIS is underway and data is collected for monitoring and evaluation purposes it will be possible to provide more informed estimates.

Communities

Gavin Brown (Lothians) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive how many grants have been made under the CashBack for Communities initiative to applicants in each parliamentary constituency in the Lothians region and what the value of each grant was.

Fergus Ewing: CashBack for Communities has funded two grant schemes for the youthwork sector through YouthLink Scotland, from which several grants were made in each of the Lothian local authorities. The grants awarded under the second grant scheme will be announced in November. For the first scheme the following grants were awarded to organisations in the Lothians:

  

 East Lothian
 


 North Berwick Dry Bar Association (Youth Café) 
£10,587


 Tranent Youth and Community Facility 
£11,041


 Red School Youth Centre 
£9,372


 Total 
£31,000 (3 grants)


 Edinburgh
 


 Multi Culture Family Base
£25,977


 HayWired Ltd 
£10,458


 Sergeant of Leith Neighbourhood Action Unit 
£18,616


 Circle 
£22,095


 Edinburgh City Youth Café – 6VT Youth Café 
£15,857


 Edinburgh City Youth Café – 6VT Youth Café 
£9,108


 Youth Bus Project – The Buz 
£20,317


 Leith Acorn Centre YMCA 
£12,319


 The BIG Project 
£10,473


 Pilmeny Development Project 
£2,080


 Wester Hailes Youth Agency 
£6,654


 Craigmillar Adventure Project 
£22,429


 RUTS – The Rural and Urban Training Scheme Ltd 
£8,632


 The Ripple Project 
£15,890


 Sikh Sanjog 
£6,688


 Citadel Youth Centre 
£2,355


 The Rock Trust 
£4,713


 Fairbridge in Edinburgh 
£5,339


 Total 
£220,000 (18 grants)


 Midlothian
 


 Gorebridge Community Development Trust 
£8,132


 Top Service 
£4,730


 Mayfield and Easthouses Youth Project 2000 Project (Y2K) 
£9,337


 Midlothian Young Peoples Advice Project (MYPAS) 
£10,800


 Total 
£32,999 (4 grants)


 West Lothian
 


 Brigend Senior Youth Club
£12,600


 Edinburgh and Lothians Racial Equality Council 
£9,280


 Loganlea Miners Welfare Charitable Society
£9,798


 YWCA Livingston 
£2,408


 Children 1st
£27,441


 Edinburgh Cyrenian Trust
£9,461


 Total 
£70,988 (6 grants)

Culture

Gavin Brown (Lothians) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive how much the local economy in Edinburgh has benefited from a live music scene in each of the last five years and how this compares with other cities over the same period.

Michael Russell: There is no doubt that Scotland’s cities, including Edinburgh, will benefit from having a thriving live music scene. However, defining these benefits in precise economic terms is difficult.

  The City of Edinburgh Council, the Scottish Arts Council, other relevant bodies and local authorities confirm that this information is not collected or held centrally. The reason relates to the difficulty of defining a "live music scene" and what it can mean in practice.

Health

Bill Butler (Glasgow Anniesland) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive whether it plans to instruct NHS boards to reopen negotiations with providers of bedhead inpatient telephone services in order to cut charges.

Nicola Sturgeon: No. NHS boards and NHS National Services Scotland have direct responsibility for negotiating contracts.

Health

Bill Butler (Glasgow Anniesland) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive what action it is taking to ensure that premium rate telephone numbers are not used by medical practices.

Nicola Sturgeon: We will be considering, in partnership with the medical profession in Scotland, how best to prevent any new arrangements of this nature being entered into by GP practices. In addition, we will issue guidance to NHS boards which will require them to press practices currently using premium rate numbers to reopen negotiations with service providers in a bid to drive down the costs to callers.

Health

Bill Butler (Glasgow Anniesland) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the article that appeared in The Herald on 14 September 2009, what the expected timescale is for ending the use of premium rate telephone numbers by medical practices.

Nicola Sturgeon: There is no specific timescale for ending the use of premium rate telephone numbers used by GP practices. However, as detailed in the answer to question S3W-27498 on 28 September 2009, we will be working closely with the medical profession to ensure that patients do not incur additional costs when contacting a practice by telephone.

  All answers to written parliamentary questions are available on the Parliament’s website, the search facility for which can be found at http://www.scottish.parliament.uk/Apps2/Business/PQA/Default.aspx

Healthcare Associated Infection

Cathy Jamieson (Carrick, Cumnock and Doon Valley) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive what contact it has had with the UK Department of Health regarding sharing best practice on steps to reduce the incidence of healthcare associated infections in hospitals.

Nicola Sturgeon: Healthcare associated infection (HAI) is not unique to Scotland and is a major challenge for all the UK countries. It is also a global problem. Both the Scottish Government and members of our HAI Task Force have robust networks of contacts in place around the UK, and across the European Community, so we can learn from each other and share best practice on the most effective approaches towards tackling HAI. In addition, both the Chief Scientist’s Office and the Scottish Infection Research Network (SIRN) encourage and support innovative research and projects into HAI to ensure that our approach continues to evolve and keeps pace with other countries.

  As well as on-going dialogue with UK colleagues, regular meetings take place across the UK including meetings of the Pan Celtic Group, which is attended by all UK countries; meetings of the Antimicrobial Resistant Healthcare Associated Infection Committee, which is led by the Department of Health, and meetings at the European Centre for Disease Control.

Heritage

Murdo Fraser (Mid Scotland and Fife) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive what action it is taking to promote Roman history in Perthshire.

Michael Russell: Scottish ministers, through Historic Scotland, maintain four Roman sites in Perthshire, including three of the Gask Ridge watchtowers. These sites are featured in our members handbook, which has a distribution of 70,000 and in our Sites Guide , 4,000 of which are sent to media and stakeholders. Their on-site interpretation has been recently replaced incorporating up-to-date research and of course it is recognised that they are only a part of the picture for Roman Perthshire; the broader interpretation of their role within Roman Scotland is covered in publications such as Roman Scotland , by David Breeze and published by Historic Scotland and Batsford Books, reprinted in 2000.

  In addition, Historic Scotland has recently provided grant support for an important conference held in Perth (and proceedings recently published as "First Contacts"), organised by Tayside and Fife Archaeological Committee into the earliest Roman presence in Scotland, looking at archaeological evidence which may show contacts a decade or more before the normally accepted date of the first Roman presence in the north.

Heritage

Murdo Fraser (Mid Scotland and Fife) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive what action it is taking to promote Roman history in Angus.

Michael Russell: There are no Roman sites in the care of Scottish ministers in Angus. Historic Scotland currently has no opportunity to promote Roman history in Angus; although the broader interpretation of Roman Scotland, as a whole, is covered in publications such as Roman Scotland , by David Breeze and published by Historic Scotland and Batsford Books, reprinted in 2000. Historic Scotland also raises the profile of our Roman heritage through active marketing of sites such as the Antonine Wall.

Housing

Rhoda Grant (Highlands and Islands) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive how many (a) council, (b) New Supply Shared Equity Scheme and (c) Open Market Shared Equity Scheme houses were built in (i) 2007 and (ii) 2008, and are anticipated to be built in (A) 2009, (B) 2010 and (C) 2011 in each Scottish parliamentary constituency in the Highlands and Islands region.

Alex Neil: The following information on new council houses and New Supply Shared Equity properties built is for the five local authority areas that encompass the Highland and Islands parliamentary constituencies. Information on the number of houses built is not held by calendar year or by Scottish parliamentary constituency.

  Council Houses: There were no units completed in the Highland and Islands parliamentary constituencies in 2007-08. One unit was completed in Orkney in 2008-09 and there are no completions anticipated in 2009-10.

  We anticipate that 30 units will complete in 2010-11 as a result of Orkney Council’s award from the first round of funding to kick start a new generation of local authority homes

  New Supply Shared Equity: The following table shows actual completion figures for 2007-08 and 2008-09 and anticipated completions for 2009-10. Figures are not yet available for 2010-11:

  

New Supply Shared Equity
2007-08 Actual
2008-09 Actual
2009-10 Estimate


 Highland
 66
 138
 180


 Orkney
 0
 0
 0


 Shetland
 0
 6
 0


 Western Isles
 0
 0
 2


 Argyll and Bute
 0
 0
 40


 Total
 66
 144
 222



  The Open Market Shared Equity Pilot (OMSEP) started in The Highland Council area in 2008-09 and was introduced in Orkney, Shetland, Western Isles and Argyll and Bute in 2009-10. The Open Market Shared Equity Pilot allows eligible individuals to purchase a home from the open market and does not lead to a new property being built. The following table shows completed sales in each local authority area by financial year.

  

 Open Market Shared Equity Pilot
Actual Sales 2008-09
Sales Target 2009-10


 Highland
 35
 88


 Orkney
 0
 5


 Shetland
 0
 5


 Western Isles
 0
 5


 Argyll and Bute
 0
 17


 Total
 35
 120



  The actual sales figure in 2008-09 for Highland is an updated figure to that provided in the answer to question S3W-26078 on 17 August 2009. All answers to written parliamentary questions are available on the Parliament’s website, the search facility for which can be found at:

  http://www.scottish.parliament.uk/Apps2/Business/PQA/Default.aspx.

  The data provided in this report are based on management information. The official statistics on the Affordable Housing Investment Programme, and on other housing statistics, do not provide the specific detail requested but can be found at the housing statistics for Scotland web pages at:

  http://www.scotland.gov.uk/Topics/Statistics/Browse/Housing-Regeneration/HSfS/KeyInfo.

International Development

John Park (Mid Scotland and Fife) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive what targets or plans it has in relation to the EU Social Agenda priority area of opportunities, access and solidarity on the global scene.

Michael Russell: The Scottish Government recognises the important contribution the EU can make in promoting internationally the social dimension of globalisation as outlined in this EU Social Agenda priority. The Scottish Government’s International Development Policy sets out Scotland’s contribution to the global fight against poverty through activity which is clearly designed to support the achievement of the millennium development goals.

Justice

Richard Baker (North East Scotland) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive whether it considers 30 years an appropriate maximum punishment part of a life sentence.

Kenny MacAskill: Punishment parts are set by the High Court in accordance with the Prisoners and Criminal Proceedings (Scotland) Act 1993, as amended by the Convention Rights (Compliance) (Scotland) Act 2001. There is no statutory limitation on the maximum punishment part that may be set. The punishment part set is subject to appeal by the prisoner or the Lord Advocate.

  Section 118(7) of the Criminal Procedure (Scotland) Act 1995 provides that in disposing of an appeal against sentence the High Court may issue a guideline judgement on the sentence which is appropriate in any similar case.

  Part 1 of the Criminal Justice and Licensing (Scotland) Bill will provide for the establishment of a Scottish Sentencing Council. The council will be able to prepare and publish guidelines relating to the sentencing of offenders, including the setting of punishment parts.

Ministerial Engagements

George Foulkes (Lothians) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive who from the Scottish Executive went to Brussels for the launch of Europe and Foreign Affairs: Taking Forward our National Conversation and what the estimate is of the total cost invovled.

Michael Russell: My private secretary, one special adviser, one policy official and a communications officer all travelled to Brussels for the launch. Travel and accommodation costs (including my own) were approximately £3,114.

NHS Equipment

Dr Richard Simpson (Mid Scotland and Fife) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive how many additional ventilators are being acquired to support the announced increase in intensive care beds.

Nicola Sturgeon: As I announced on 10 September, the government will purchase an extra 40 adult and 15 paediatric ventilators to support boards in delivery of the 100% increase in critical care capacity. The total costs, which will be borne by the government, will be in the region of £1.4 million.

NHS Staff

Dr Richard Simpson (Mid Scotland and Fife) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive how many additional specialist nursing staff will be required to support the announced increase in intensive care beds.

Nicola Sturgeon: NHS boards response to pandemic influenza surge planning reflects a staged and incremental re-prioritisation of existing services as demand increases or diminishes. A key action for boards has been planning for the re-alignment of workforce resources including staff numbers, skills and competence, physical capacity (bed spaces and equipment) in order to support anticipated critical care demand.

  The required increase in staffing capacity and capability is principally achieved through the re-allocation and up-skilling of the existing workforce rather than through the engagement of additional staff. This process is appropriate to managing activity peaks and is reflected in both Scottish and UK-wide surge guidance.

  Alongside this planned re-allocation of resources, NHS Board Nurse Directors have been reviewing the existing critical care skills and competencies and establishing the educational and training needs for staff to enhance such skills in order to support greater flexibility. An expert group has also led on developing and making available supporting materials for both Critical Care and the pandemic immunisation programme.

  NHS boards have all been asked to look at capacity within their nurse bank complement and, if necessary to consider whether there may be additional potential capacity amongst those who have recently left their service.

  Whilst the NHS in Scotland undoubtedly faces challenges in the months ahead, we have been proactive in our planning, in scoping staff requirements and in rolling out appropriate development initiatives.

Organ Donation

George Foulkes (Lothians) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive what the level of organ donation has been in each month since September 2008.

Nicola Sturgeon: The information requested is given in the following tables.

  Scotland: Deceased Organ Donors September 2008 to August 2009

  

 Month
 Heart Beating
 Non Heart-Beating
 Total


 September 2008
 2
 2
 4


 October 2008
 3
 3
 6


 November 2008
 7
 0
 7


 December 2008
 6
 0
 6


 January 2009
 4
 1
 5


 February 2009
 4
 2
 6


 March 2009
 4
 1
 5


 April 2009
 4
 1
 5


 May 2009
 4
 1
 5


 Jun 2009
 2
 2
 4


 Jul 2009
 9
 0
 9


 August 2009
 3
 3
 6


 Total
 52
 16
 68



  UK: Deceased Organ Donors September 2008 to August 2009

  

 Month
 Heart Beating
 Non Heart-Beating
 Total


 September 2008
 47
 24
 71


 October 2008
 57
 32
 89


 November 2008
 64
 15
 79


 December 2008
 43
 32
 75


 January 2009
 59
 30
 89


 February 2009
 39
 21
 60


 March 2009
 47
 29
 76


 April 2009
 38
 22
 60


 May 2009
 47
 32
 79


 Jun 2009
 51
 26
 77


 Jul 2009
 51
 29
 80


 August 2009
 51
 26
 77


 Total
 594
 318
 912



  Source: NHS Blood and Transplant.

Prison Service

Richard Baker (North East Scotland) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive whether it considers that Scotland’s prisons are universities of crime and, if so, what action it is taking in prisons to address this.

Kenny MacAskill: We believe that Scottish prisons, and Scottish Prison Service staff, play an important role in challenging offending behaviour. We are developing a coherent Offender Management Strategy to ensure that we help them and build effectively on their efforts.

Prison Service

Richard Baker (North East Scotland) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive whether it is concerned at the report in The Press and Journal on 17 September 2009 that a record 177 prisoners have been recalled to prison following release and, if so, what action it will take.

Kenny MacAskill: The increase in the number of recalls is partly a reflection of the continued rise in the number of prisoners: 6,620 in 2004, rising to more than 8,000 in 2009. It also reflects the fact that those released on licence must abide by their licence conditions or expect to be dealt with seriously.

Prison Service

Richard Baker (North East Scotland) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive what its position is on the reported comment of HM Chief Inspector of Prisons for Scotland that resourcing problems are limiting prisoners’ access to the Violence Prevention Programme and what action it is taking to address this issue.

Kenny MacAskill: I have asked Mike Ewart, Chief Executive of the Scottish Prison Service (SPS), to respond. His response is as follows:

  The SPS delivers a range of offending behaviour programme that address the issue of violence.

  The Violence Prevention Programme is an intense, 94 session programme designed to address the offending behaviour of those offenders who have the most violent offence histories. Access to all programmes is currently determined on an individual prisoner’s suitability for the programme and risk assessments.

  Other programmes are available that address offending behaviour in the context of substance misuse, anger and emotional management and problem solving. These programmes may be offered to some prisoners as a more appropriate measure for addressing offending behaviour.

Prison Service

Richard Baker (North East Scotland) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive how many prisoners accessed the Violence Prevention Programme while serving a custodial sentence in each of the last three years, broken down by prison.

Richard Lochhead: I have asked Mike Ewart, Chief Executive of the Scottish Prison Service, to respond. His response is as follows:

  The number of prisoners who commenced a Violence Prevention Programme were:

  

 
 2006-07
 2007-08
 2008-09


 Edinburgh
 
 10
 10


 Glenochil
 20
 
 21


 Perth
 20
 10
 10


 Polmont
 
 10
 13


 Shotts
 10
 30
 30


 Total
 50
 60
 84

Prison Service

Richard Baker (North East Scotland) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive in which prisons the Violence Prevention Programme runs and whether the Scottish Government plans to increase the number of such prisons in future.

Kenny MacAskill: I have asked Mike Ewart, Chief Executive of the Scottish Prison Service, to respond. His response is as follows:

  In 2009-10, the Violence Prevention Programme will be delivered to prisoners in HMP Edinburgh, HMP Glenochil, HMYOI Polmont and HMP Shotts. An adapted version of the programme is also being delivered at HMP Peterhead.

  There are no definite plans to increase the number of establishments in which the Violence Prevention Programme is delivered.

Prison Service

Richard Baker (North East Scotland) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive what action it is taking to curb the supply of illegal drugs in prisons.

Richard Lochhead: I have asked Mike Ewart, Chief Executive of the Scottish Prison Service (SPS), to respond. His response is as follows:

  The SPS is committed to preventing all illegal commodities coming into prisons. Significant investment has been made in the procurement of technology, staff training and procedures to detect and deter the introduction of illegal drugs.

Prison Service

Patricia Ferguson (Glasgow Maryhill) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive whether there has been a change to the policy on prisoners eligible to be held in the open prison estate and, if so, when any new policy was implemented and what the reason was for such changes.

Kenny MacAskill: I have asked Mike Ewart, Chief Executive of the Scottish Prison Service, to respond. His response is as follows:

  A review of the circumstances surrounding the transfer of prisoner Robert Foye to the Open Estate was undertaken in early 2008. Its recommendations were implemented shortly afterwards:

  Since these arrangements have been put in place, a further review was undertaken (Balancing Risk and Need) in response to the abscond of Brian Martin. The Justice Secretary has undertaken to respond to this report later in the autumn.

Schools

Christina McKelvie (Central Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will provide an update on the action that it has taken following the publication in 2008 of the Audit Scotland report, Improving the School Estate .

Fiona Hyslop: I am pleased to announce that the Scottish Government and COSLA are launching a new School Estate Strategy Building Better Schools: Investing in Scotland’s Future  today. Copies have been placed in the Scottish Parliament Information Centre (Bib. number 49305) and the document is available at:

  http://www.scotland.gov.uk/Topics/Education/Schools/Buildings/commitments.

  Building Better Schools: Investing in Scotland’s Future represents the Scottish Government and COSLA’s agreed destination and route map to get the School Estate up to the standard which Audit Scotland set out in Improving the School Estate. It has been developed as a partnership between national and local government and we are jointly committed to continuing this partnership as we proceed with implementation. The strategy has pupils at its centre and sets out the joint government-COSLA target of achieving 90% of children being educated in good condition schools (conditions A & B) with firm plans to lift the rest of pupils out of being educated in schools in conditions C & D.

  I am also pleased to announce the 14 secondary schools will benefit from the new £1.25 billion school building programme that will follow on from the current £2 billion of school investment that is being supported by the government which are:

  

 School
 Authority


 Ellon Academy 
 Aberdeenshire


 Mearns Academy 
 Aberdeenshire


 Brechin High
 Angus


 Dalbeattie High
 Dumfries and Galloway


 Harris Academy 
 Dundee 


 Eastwood High
 East Renfrewshire 


 James Gillespie’s 
 Edinburgh 


 Auchmuty High
 Fife 


 Wick High
 Highland 


 Lasswade High
 Midlothian 


 Garnock Academy 
 North Ayrshire


 Clyde Valley High
 North Lanarkshire 


 Ayr Academy 
 South Ayrshire


 Dumbarton Academy 
 West Dunbartonshire 



  As I have previously set out to Parliament (Col. 19247) we have engaged with COSLA, councils and the Scottish Futures Trust to identify the 14 schools and have taken into account the distribution of needs throughout Scotland; the best available information about schools’ condition and unsuitability to deliver the curriculum for excellence; additionality, and authorities’ plans and priorities and readiness to proceed.

  We have also agreed with COSLA that we would accelerate the primary school announcement and that the same criteria will be used to identify these schools. We anticipate that all councils will benefit from the first tranches of the school building programme.

Scottish Government Ministers

George Foulkes (Lothians) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive what information has been provided to SNP MSPs by ministers on matters that are reserved to the UK Parliament.

Bruce Crawford: Scottish ministers regularly provide information to members of all parties represented in the Parliament on a wide variety of matters.

Sex Offenders

Richard Baker (North East Scotland) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S3W-25699 by Kenny MacAskill on 23 July 2009, what update it can provide on what the motivational element to encourage further participation of prisoners in appropriate interventions, such as the Sex Offender Treatment Programme, is likely to involve and how it is intended to be used.

Kenny MacAskill: I have asked Mike Ewart, Chief Executive of the Scottish Prison Service, to respond. His response is as follows:

  The revised Sex Offender Treatment Programme (SOTP) is still under development.

Sex Offenders

Richard Baker (North East Scotland) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive,further to the answer to question S3W-25269 by Kenny MacAskill on 2 July 2009, what update it can provide on when it expects the Scottish Prison Service to (a) complete and (b) roll out the new Sex Offender Treatment Programme.

Kenny MacAskill: I have asked Mike Ewart, Chief Executive of the Scottish Prison Service, to respond. His response is as follows:

  Development of the new Sex Offender Treatment Programme (SOTP) remains on target for completion by the end of October 2009. The new SOTP will have a phased introduction in 2010.